Karzai Calls for Regional Initiative To Solve Afghan People's Problems

If this effort is successful, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will allocate $19 million for climate programmes.

Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries affected by climate change. The country, which is experiencing deadly droughts and floods, has not been able to receive climate funding from international institutions since the Taliban's recapture in 2021.

The two UN agencies plan to submit proposals for nearly $19 million to the UN's Global Environment Programme next year.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is seeking a $10 million budget to improve natural resource management in four Afghan provinces.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plans to provide $8.9 million to rehabilitate rural communities as livestock in villages have been severely affected by drought.

According to Reuters, the UN development programme also plans to provide an additional $20 million in funding.

In its proposal, the agency emphasises that the climate budget should be presented to the people without directly transferring it to the Taliban.

"We are in talks with major climate financial institutions, including the United Nations Environment Programme, to bring funds back into Afghanistan, without them being available to the Taliban," said Stephen Rodriguez, a representative of the United Nations Development Programme.

Dick Trenchard, FAO Country Director in Afghanistan, said, "There is no doubt about the effects of climate change in Afghanistan. You can see the effects everywhere."

Since the Taliban's takeover in 2021, no new funds have been allocated to Afghanistan. If the UN's efforts in this regard bear fruit, it will be the first time in three years that a new international climate budget has been allocated to Afghanistan.

The two organisations must receive initial approval from the secretariat of the United Nations World Environment Programme (GEF) in order to be able to submit their proposals for donations.

Flash floods in Afghanistan have claimed hundreds of lives this year, and the country is facing a food security crisis after a severe drought.

The Taliban has not yet been recognised by any country, however, the group's officials also attended the annual United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP29) in Baku for the first time this year.

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Uzbekistan's diplomat has pledged to work to expand relations between Kabul and Tashkent.

Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Taliban's Foreign Ministry, wrote in a statement on Wednesday, November 20, that Muttaqi had assured Usmanov that the group would cooperate with him on various issues.

According to the statement, Amir Khan Muttaqi considered the diplomatic cooperation between the Taliban and Uzbekistan as a sign of the progress of relations between the two countries.

The Taliban's foreign minister also stressed that practical steps should be taken to advance major economic projects between the group and Uzbekistan.

According to the statement, Uzbekistan's new ambassador to Afghanistan also promised that he would work to develop relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during his mission in Afghanistan.

Oybek Usmanov, 62, previously served as Uzbekistan's ambassador to Egypt and Pakistan. He arrived in Kabul on October 28 this year to begin his work as his country's new ambassador to Afghanistan.

The former ambassador of Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was Yadgar Shadmanov. In September this year, he announced the end of his mission in Afghanistan after 12 years.

Although Uzbekistan does not recognise the Taliban government like other countries, it has established close relations with the group. Taliban and Uzbekistan officials have met several times over the past three years.

The anniversary came "at one of the darkest times in Afghanistan's history", the office said.

Nasir Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan's acting representative to the United Nations, said in a message on Tuesday that the lack of a legitimate government has isolated the country and that Afghanistan is in one of the deepest social, political and humanitarian crises.

Afghanistan became a member of the United Nations on November 19, 1946. Afghanistan's membership document in the United Nations was signed by Abdul Hussain Azizi, Afghanistan's representative at the time.

After nearly eight decades, the United Nations and none of its members have recognised the ruling regime in Afghanistan, and its seat has been lost. Due to non-payment of membership dues, no representative from Afghanistan is present in many UN committees and the country has lost its right to vote.

Afghanistan, with a long history of presence at the United Nations, is today in one of its darkest and most isolated periods, observers say.

Mirwais Balkhi, a researcher at the Wilson Centre in Washington, DC, referring to Afghanistan's situation at the United Nations, told Afghanistan International that regional governments, such as Pakistan and Iran, speak on behalf of this country in the organisation.

He stressed that the United Nations should play a more active role in resolving the long-term crisis in Afghanistan.

"Afghan people expect the United Nations to end the half-century conflict in Afghanistan through effective mediation and finding a political solution," Balkhi said.

Afghanistan joined the United Nations at a time when many countries in the region had not yet been formed, Balkhi said.

Referring to the Taliban's efforts to take over Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, Balkhi stressed that the United Nations cannot decide on Afghanistan's seat alone, and this issue requires consensus among the member states of the Security Council. According to him, deep disagreements among the members of the Security Council have prevented the achievement of a common position.

Balkhi called Afghanistan's situation at the United Nations "unstable" and said, "It is not clear whether Afghanistan's seat in the United Nations will remain, be closed or be handed over to the Taliban."

Balkhi said that the United Nations refuses to formally cooperate with the Taliban despite humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. This situation has led to a kind of dichotomy: the United Nations is in contact with the Afghan people, but it does not recognise the ruling regime.

On the occasion of Afghanistan's membership in the United Nations, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday called the country a proud member of the international community.

In recent years, UNAMA has focused on building peace and sustainable development for the Afghan people.

Khan said that Western countries should expedite the process of accepting Afghan applicants waiting in Pakistan.

According to the Dawn newspaper, Khan said that the conference will discuss challenges such as the voluntary return of refugees to Afghanistan and their resettlement in third countries.

He said that a trilateral meeting with the Taliban and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be held soon to discuss the challenges of Afghan refugees.

Khan stated that about 600,000 Afghan applicants have now registered with the UNHCR in Pakistan for resettlement in Western countries.

Criticising the low admission of Afghan refugees this year, the Pakistani official said that the quota of applicants registered with the United Nations for resettlement this year was only 8,000.

Pointing to Afghanistan's fragile and limited infrastructure for the return of Afghan refugees to the country, he said that the reintegration of Afghan citizens into their country has become a challenging proposition.

The Pakistani official clarified that Afghanistan's capacity to absorb returning refugees is very limited.

According to statistics, the first round of deportations of Afghan refugees began in October last year, when about 600,000 Afghan refugees were deported from Pakistan.

The United Nations also reported earlier that 1.3 million Afghan refugees are currently living in Pakistan with POR cards, which was recently renewed by the Pakistani government for another year.

The court added that it sentenced the woman to 39 lashes and five months in prison.

On Tuesday, November 19, the Taliban's Supreme Court wrote in a statement that the woman's flogging sentence was carried out by the primary court of Bak district of Khost province in the presence of Taliban officials and local residents. The Taliban has not commented on the woman's charges.

In the past week, the Taliban has flogged at least 16 people in Ghazni, Nangarhar, Baghlan, and Paktika provinces on various charges.

Human rights organisations consider corporal punishment such as flogging and the death penalty to be a violation of basic human rights principles and contrary to human dignity.

Recently, the Taliban in Paktia province executed a person accused of murder at the Gardez Stadium in front of people.